104 places · 7 areas

Places of the Bangsamoro

Islands and white sand, lakes in the highlands, mosques, falls and the old forts and houses of the sultanates: what is there, how to get there, and what to know before you go.

Ervin Malicdem · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo by Ervin Malicdem, CC BY-SA 4.0. Open the source file.

Beaches 6

Islands 11

Mosques 10

Lakes 5

Falls 5

Mountains 7

Nature 21

Heritage 22

Museums 5

Cities 2

Markets 2

Memory 8

Every place is traced to the pages it came from, and the guide’s own entries are the travel workspace’s. Photos are from Wikimedia Commons or English Wikipedia under free licences, each credited on the photo. 7 areas: Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte and del Sur, Tawi-Tawi, Cotabato City and the Special Geographic Area.

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Malamawi Island seen from the Basilan Strait off Isabela

Places · Island

Malamawi Island

Isabela City (Region IX) — crossed to from Basilan, Basilan

Ralff Nestor Nacor · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo by Ralff Nestor Nacor, CC BY-SA 4.0. Open the source file.

Overview

A white-sand beach a short boat ride off Isabela.

Malamawi lies across a narrow channel from Isabela and carries the island’s best-known beach — white sand, shallow water, and close enough that the crossing is a few minutes rather than an expedition.

It is the standard weekend outing for Basilan and Zamboanga residents, which means it is busy on Sundays and quiet the rest of the week.

Things to do

  1. 01Cross by pump boat from beside Isabela portPump boats leave from a small wharf beside Isabela City port for a 5-minute crossing; in 2012 the shared fare was PHP 5, and a boat to yourself was PHP 45.
  2. 02Ride a habal-habal across to the white beachThe beach is on the far side of the island, more than 15 minutes by motorcycle on a rough trail past villages and a coconut plantation.
  3. 03Rent a cottage on the beachCottages line the beach; go on a weekday to avoid the Sunday crowds, and bring water and food.

Food to try

  • Thatched floating cottages linked by boardwalks sit among the mangroves at Marang-Marang.Isabela City (Region IX) — crossed to from BasilanBreakfast at the Marang Marang floating restaurantsThe Marang Marang women's association runs 2 floating bamboo restaurants in Isabela that serve rice cakes and coffee and lunches of imbao clams, shrimp and squid from the mangroves; book ahead.Photo: Department of Tourism
  • Isabela City (Region IX) — crossed to from BasilanPeanuts from IntercoAn Isabela peanut shop with no sign, known locally as Interco, sells roasted and adobo peanuts and peanut butter and often sells out before 5 pm.
  • A bowl of near-black beef soup beside a red onion and dried chillies.TausugTiyula ItumBlack beef soup, colored by burnt coconut.Photo: Nurfadzrie Abubakar
  • Tausug satti: grilled meat skewers with a bowl of spiced sauce and ta'mu rice cake in woven coconut leaf.TausugSattiSkewered meat in a hot red sauce, with a block of rice — the breakfast of the archipelago.Photo: Anak 1 at en.wikipedia
  • TausugKulmaA mild peanut-and-coconut curry, close to a korma.
  • TausugPianggangGrilled chicken in burnt-coconut sauce.

The food is halal. Named eateries come from dated listings, so check they are still open.

Places to stay

Phone, Facebook, or the city tourism office. Very little is listed online.

Each is named in an official or dated source; none could be checked against an accreditation list. No prices: rates change quickly, so confirm and book directly before you go.

Sourcesen.wikipedia.org ·transitpinas.com ·philstar.com